Ministry of Defence

Royal Artillery Museum

Lord Hutton of Furness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure continued public access to the archives and collections of the Royal Artillery museum once the existing site at Woolwich is closed.

Earl Howe: Regimental museums are provided and sustained by individual Regiments. However, I understand that the Royal Artillery intends to follow the precedent set by the National Army Museum, which is to close all access to the archives and collections during the transition of the Royal Artillery Museum to a new location. I understand that the Royal Artillery is examining ways to provide some access to a limited selection of archive materials whilst it develops longer term plans.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning reports of Israeli troops shooting a Palestinian with Down’s Syndrome who posed no threat to those troops.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this specific case, we have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities in the past about the Israel Defence Forces' use of live fire, urging robust and transparent investigations where appropriate.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Israel in the light of remarks by the UN Secretary General following his visit to Israel on 28 June urging the Israeli Prime Minister to work towards a negotiated two-state solution.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government believes that a negotiated two-state solution is in the interests of both Israel and the Palestinians. While we do not plan to make specific representations to the Government of Israel about the remarks by the UN Secretary General, we will continue to work with our international partners, including the UN, in support of a two-state solution.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning reports of continuing and increasing collective punishment of Palestinian communities, including punitive demolitions of private homes in the West Bank and the withholding of tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have serious concerns about the use of punitive demolitions by the Israeli authorities to destroy the homes of the families of Palestinian suspected terrorists. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have expressed concerns about this policy to a number of Israeli officials: we fear that rather than acting as a deterrent, it has the potential to increase tension. We believe that a stable, well functioning, and fiscally viable Palestinian Authority (PA) is an important contributor to stability, and that it is in Israel’s own interests to secure this stability. As part of this, it is important Israel carries out the regular monthly transfer of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the PA in line with its international obligations.

Genocide

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 30 June (HL758) about the recognition of genocide, which judicial bodies could take such a decision.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We continue to believe that recognition of genocide should be a matter for competent courts, decided by judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process.

Department for International Development

St Helena: Transport

Lord Shutt of Greetland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have undertaken as a direct consequence of the recommendations and observations regarding operational limitations set out in paragraphs 7.57–7.82 and 13.133 of the 2005 report by Atkins Management Consultants St Helena Access Feasibility Study: Final Report.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The operational limitations set out in paragraphs 7.57 to 7.67 of the Atkins’ Feasibility Study refer to work undertaken to assess the feasibility of a 1,400 m landing runway. This option was not adopted and the St Helena Airport has landing runways of 1,550 m from the north, and 1,535 m from the south. This addresses the limitation referred to. With regard to cargo provision, the proposed Comair flights were to have carried a minimum of one tonne of air freight, and the St Helena Government has already entered into a contract for sea freight on a commercial basis.Paragraphs 7.68 to 7.81 concern the procurement of an air service which was undertaken through competitive tender in 2014 and resulted in the appointment of Comair to provide scheduled services.Paragraphs 7.82 and 13.113 both refer to the requirement for flight trials to be carried out. Flight trials were undertaken on 2 May 2007 and concluded that turbulence at the North and South ends of the runway was acceptable.

UNRWA

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that UNRWA has adequate funding for the annual Children's Summer Camp in Gaza this year.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is a long-term supporter of UNRWA, between 2011 and 2015, DFID provided just over £200m to UNRWA, including £63.5 million in 2015/16.The UK regularly engages in discussion with UNRWA and other donors about UNRWA’s financial situation.We are aware of the budget shortfall for children’s summer camps in Gaza this summer. The UK remains committed to support UNRWA and my officials remain in close and regular dialogue with UNRWA about its funding position.

Ministry of Justice

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Baroness Corston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many organisations named as second- and third-tier subcontractors to community rehabilitation companies in successful bids have ended their contract in 2016.

Earl of Courtown: We are aware of three organisations named as second and third tier subcontractors to community rehabilitation companies in successful bids that have ended their contract in 2016. This excludes organisations named as second and third tier subcontractors to community rehabilitation companies with whom sub contracts were not executed, or contracts which have reached the end of their term and expired.

Prisons

Baroness Corston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the decision-making criteria are for the closure and sale of prisons as part of their prison building programme.

Earl of Courtown: Prisons are selected for closure through a well-established process including an economic analysis that identifies those prisons that are no longer fit for purpose in the modern prison estate and/or are most expensive to operate or maintain. The assessment also considers the impact of closure on the ability of the National Offender Management Service to deliver its business effectively.Following a decision to close a prison and it subsequently being decommissioned the Ministry of Justice will prepare the site for disposal. At that stage, the Ministry of Justice will work closely with the local authority and others, on future options for the site. No decisions have yet been made about closures, other than those already announced.

Females: Offenders

Baroness Corston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Offender Management Service is still providing prison officer training under the Women Awareness Staff Programme.

Earl of Courtown: Staff who work within women’s prisons are able to undertake two additional training programmes, ‘Women Awareness Staff Programme’ and ‘Sex Workers in Custody and the Community’.Additionally, nearly 2,000 staff in women’s prisons and providers of community services in England and Scotland have received training on developing ‘trauma informed’ practice, which entails understanding and responding to behaviours arising from a history of trauma.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Youth Organisations

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding (1) the National Youth Theatre, (2) the National Youth Orchestra, (3) the National Youth Dance Company, and (4) the Youth Music Theatre UK, receive from (a) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and (b) the Department for Education.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: Government funding between 2014/15 and 2015/16 to the National Youth Theatre Great Britain, the National Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Dance Company, and the Youth Music Theatre UK is set out in the table. Youth Music Theatre UK and the National Youth Orchestra receive funding as National Youth Music Organisations, which is jointly funded through the Department for Education and Arts Council England lottery money. These figures include total funding provided through Grant in Aid and Lottery funding.   DFEDCMS  OrganisationGrant in Aid 2014/15 – 2015/16Grant in Aid 2014/15 – 2015/16Lottery Funding 2014/15 – 2015/16*Grants for the Arts 2014/15 – 2015/16National Youth Theatre of Great Britain£611,538  National Youth Orchestra**£500,000 £44,441 Sadler's Wells Trust Ltd. (National Youth Dance Company specific)***£650,000£200,000 Youth Music Theatre UK**£300,000  £37,250* Grants for the arts is the Arts Council's Lottery-funded grant programme for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. Grants are available for activities carried out over a set period and which engage people in England in arts activities and help artists and arts organisations in England carry out their work**National Youth Music Organisation funding*** The funding is paid to Sadler’s Wells as the grant recipient for use specifically for National Youth Dance Company activities

Gambling: Internet

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 April (HL7422), how many of the 60 foreign unlicensed online gambling websites to which the Gambling Commission has written have (1) obtained a licence, (2) ceased offering facilities for gambling in Britain, and (3) been subject to payment blocking by payment providers.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: Of the 60 foreign unlicensed online gambling websites which the Gambling Commission wrote to, 3 obtained a licence; 41 ceased offering facilities for gambling; and 11 were subject to payment blocking by payment providers. The remainder are the subject of ongoing enforcement activity by the Gambling Commission.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Heathrow Airport: Pollution

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisation is responsible for the monitoring and collection of pollution data in and around Heathrow airport.

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government from how many air-pollution monitors official data on air quality within the perimeter of Heathrow airport are derived; and where those monitors are located.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: As I said in my answer to PQ HL7316 on 5 April this year, air quality monitoring data collected in and around Heathrow Airport is presented on the Heathrow AirWatch website which is funded via a joint working partnership consisting of Heathrow Airport Ltd, London Boroughs of Hillingdon and Hounslow, Slough and Spelthorne Borough Councils and British Airways. It is managed by the consultant Ricardo Energy and Environment. Two local monitoring sites are included in the Government’s national monitoring network (the Automatic Urban and Rural Network). All national air quality monitoring data is available on the Government’s UK-Air website. The two monitoring sites are London Hillingdon which is located in a suburban residential area approximately 30 metres from the M4 motorway and London Harlington which is located close to a minor road to the east of Harlington village.

Home Office

Human Trafficking: Children

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many independent child trafficking advocates will be needed to fulfil the requirements under section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: As the Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime set out on 28 June::https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-06-28/debates/16062854000001/IndependentAdvocatesForTraffickedChildrenThe Government is committed to commencing section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act and developing the accompanying secondary legislation and statutory guidance. As part of the commencement process, we will work with interested parties, including Non-Governmental Organisations to determine the scale of the service.



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Slavery

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and how local authority chief executives have been informed about their statutory duty to notify information about suspected victims of slavery or human trafficking under section 52 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: On 7 November, the day that s52 of the Act came into Force, the Government issued full guidance on GOV.UK. A circular providing information to all bodies subject to the duty, including local authority Chief Executives, was sent the next day. Further communications to raise awareness of the Duty to Notify are planned this summer.